LI's Balaram Stack eliminated at Quiksilver

As the final horn sounded, Balaram Stack lingered a little while on his surfboard, staring out at a misty ocean that never generated the right wave for the 20-year-old Point Lookout native to ride home.

He let the last moments of his first ASP World Tour event soak in. But Stack was eliminated by Mick Fanning in Round 2 of the Quiksilver Pro New York event early Wednesday morning, ending a week he deemed "once in a lifetime."

"It's just been fun being a part of this and having it in my hometown," Stack said.

Competing against the world's top surfers, Stack had a home crowd supporting his every paddle. But after facing surfing superstar Kelly Slater in his first heat Tuesday, Stack went up against another decorated veteran in Fanning, a two-time world champion from Australia. Fanning scored a 15.20, beating Stack by more than eight points.

The heat -- which began at 7:30 -- featured tricky surfing conditions for a second straight morning. The swells were sizable but scattered, and wind and rain made visibility difficult. Stack, who grew up surfing off these Long Beach shores and is considered the best New York product in decades, rode seven waves but none were distinctive.

"It was pretty tough," said Stack, whose two-day total was 13.13. "There were not too many 'lining-up' waves, it was kind of all over the place. But there's definitely good waves to be had."

The weather improved as the day went on, the rain -- which had poured at times -- tapered, and the sun even peeked out, providing a momentary respite from the week's harsh elements. The waves rose to six feet with wide walls.

Brazil's Adriano de Souza, the 12th-ranked surfer in the world, tallied the high score of Round 2 with a 17.93. "I hope I can keep my rhythm for the rest of the event," de Souza said.

Four heats of Round 3 were completed Wednesday; the rest, including Slater's heat, will go Thursday. Unfortunately for the local phenom Stack, he will have to watch those as a fan.

"I think it had a lot to do with nerves," said Mike Nelson, an owner of nearby unsOund Surf shop, which began sponsoring Stack at age 11. "He was nervous. But it was a pretty tough draw -- Kelly in the first heat and Mick Fanning in the next."

Nelson has watched Stack progress from a 9-year-old local standout to a rising star in the professional ranks. Nelson thought Stack didn't perform his best Wednesday. But he made a memorable entrance onto surfing's world stage, in the waters of his backyard.

"It would've been nice to get a couple better waves," Stack said. "But it was definitely a good experience."